Outside the Business : The Business Owner's Guide to Retirement Plans: Solo 401(k), Safe Harbor 401(k), Profit Sharing, and Cash Balance Plans
Overview
Your company may be your largest asset. It shouldn't be your only one.
Many business owners treat the company retirement plan as an employee benefit. For an owner, the right plan can also be one of the most structured ways to build wealth that doesn't depend on the business, year after year, before any buyer calls.
Outside the Business is a plain-English guide to the retirement plans available to business owners, written for profitable owners of S corporations, professional practices, family companies, and holding companies, and for owners who have recently sold. Every dollar limit is labeled by tax year and cited to its IRS source.
Inside, you'll learn:
- How to choose the right plan for your business: solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, safe harbor 401(k), profit sharing, or cash balance plan
- How the solo 401(k) really works by entity type, including S corporation salary, sole proprietor earnings, Roth options, and Form 5500-EZ
- How safe harbor designs help owners avoid failed ADP/ACP tests, and what they cost using your own payroll
- How profit-sharing formulas, including new comparability, decide who gets what
- How cash balance plans work, what they commit you to, and when they are not worth it
- What plans cost, and the federal startup tax credits that can offset those costs for smaller employers
- What happens to each plan when you sell your company: due diligence, the successor plan rule, and cash balance termination
- Rollovers, Roth conversions, and RMDs after a sale
- How to run the plan as a fiduciary, with an annual calendar and a 12-question Owner's Plan Scorecard
Every example is hypothetical. No contribution amount is presented as achievable; plan capacity depends on your facts and must be determined by your plan professionals.
Outside the Business is Book 2 of The Owner's Wealth Series, following Before You Sell. Written by James R. Ustby, CFP(R), APMA(R), a Wealth Advisor with LPL Financial.
For educational purposes only; not tax, legal, or investment advice. Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
This item is Non-Returnable
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9798164505646
- ISBN-10: 9798164505646
- Publisher: Independently Published
- Publish Date: October 2026
- Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.41 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.58 pounds
- Page Count: 192
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